Tim Palmer is the award-winning author of 26 books on rivers, conservation, and the environment. He is also an accomplished photographer with one of the most complete collection of photos of rivers in the United States. For over 40 years, Tim's writing and photography work have braided together his love of rivers and nature with his drive for creative expression and his deep commitment to conservation.
After receiving a bachelor of science degree in landscape architecture from The Pennsylvania State University, Tim worked for eight years as a land-use planner on land use and environmental topics from 1971-1980. He started to write full-time in 1980. Throughout his career, Tim has also been involved in river conservation. He is author of dozens of magazine articles and river studies, display packages, and brochures for conservation campaigns, including publications for the successful effort to designate the Kings River in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and to protect the South Yuba River in the California State Scenic Rivers System. He also authored the Western Rivers Conservancy's "Great Rivers of the West" report, a survey of the natural qualities of rivers in eleven Western states.
A primary focus of Tim's work is public speaking. He has been featured at hundreds of national, statewide, and provincial conferences, conservation gatherings, and at colleges and universities nationwide. He has also served on the board of the national river advocacy group American Rivers and on the board of the national river organizing group River Network. Tim is currently an Associate at the Pennsylvania State University's Riparia Center and a Visiting Scholar at Portland State University.
An inveterate river-lover, Tim has canoed or rafted on more than 300 rivers in the United States and western Canada. He lived for 22 years as a nomad in his van, traveling throughout the country to do research, writing, and photography for his book projects.
